It all began in the mid-1970 s when

Gene Griessman was hosting a public

affairs program for a TV station in Atlanta

(owned by Ted Turner and soon to be-

come WTBS, the "SuperStation ). The

goal was to find out what made famous

people famous-from the famous people

themselves. The program was "Up Close"

and from this enviable platform,

Griessman conducted interviews with

some of the most important musicians,

politicians, scientists, religious leaders,

businessmen, celebrities, and sports

stars of our time. Among them: David

Rockefeller, Tennessee Williams, Hank

Aaron, Bear Bryant, Ray Charles, Aaron

Copland, Gloria Swanson, Charles

Schulz, and Ronald Reagan.

In 1982, Griessman went to Geor-

gia Tech and continued the interviews

for newspapers and magazines, talking

with such notables as Jacques Cousteau,

B.F. Skinner, Herbert Simon, Sandra

Day O Connor, Francis Crick, Julie

Andrews, and Jack Lemmon.

Analyzing the varying responses,

Griessman discoverd certain patterns

emerging. Careful study enabled him to

identify and group the responses into

nine clusters of factors that account for

success: The Achievement Factors.